Entertainment

DAVID REED: Modest man, amazing musician

Ron Sexsmith is a soft-spoken, modest man who quietly writes some of the most beautiful and poetic songs ever penned on Canadian soil. He is highly respected in musician’s circles. Ron once told me about having brunch at Paul McCartney’s house, and on another occasion, having dinner with Elton John. Both are huge fans of Ron’s music, along with many others including Emmylou Harris, kd lang, Feist, Elvis Costello and Steve Earle.

I first met Ron in 2002, just before the release of his Cobblestone Runway album. Ron’s longtime friend and collaborator Don Kerr had performed at Centennial Secondary School with the Rheostatics the previous year, and as drummer for both groups Don was the bridge that led me to Ron. We made plans to hold a performance with the CSS choir & horns backing Ron and his band.

Throughout the experience at Centennial, Ron seemed uncomfortable with the praise and admiration the young students were showering upon him. To them, he was a star. I don’t think Ron welcomed that responsibility, but he graciously signed dozens of autographs and posed for countless photos.

The performance was a night I’ll never forget. The horns sounded swampy and the choir was shimmering. Ron and his band smiled from the first song to the last.

Ron was so taken by the experience of performing with the students that he invited us on the road for three more performances over the next year, including Toronto’s Canada Day celebrations, Grant Hall at Queen’s University and a particularly memorable show at the Phoenix Concert Hall in Toronto.

Due to limited space on the stage, we only took the horn section to the Phoenix. Ron decided to save our five songs to close the show, which meant that we didn’t go on stage until about 12:30am on a Wednesday night.

The kids were sequestered in a room with a pool table and free pop, forbidden to mingle with the alcohol-consuming public. Despite the students’ protests, I was quietly thankful for the confinement.

Before Ron went on stage, he invited the kids up to his dressing room and presented each of them with a signed copy of his new Rarities CD. He thanked them for coming to make music together. Ron’s quiet charm and sincerity made the kids feel special, and provided a memory that will last a lifetime.

Since that time, Ron has released eight more records. He has worked with an all-star list of producers including Daniel Lanois, Mitchell Froom, Martin Terefe, Bob Rock, Steve Earle and Ray Kennedy.

Ron Sexsmith - The Last Rider

(Warner Music Canada, 2017)

This is the first record that Ron Sexsmith has self-produced (with his friend and colleague, Don Kerr), and the first to feature his touring band. The stellar band includes Don Kerr (drums), Jason Mercer (bass), Dave Matheson (keyboards) and Kevin Lacroix (guitar).

The Last Rider was recorded at the Bathouse (the Tragically Hip’s studio, near Kingston) in just eight days. When I spoke with Ron this week he praised the setup at the Bathouse, commenting on the quality of gear and the productive atmosphere because the band slept there, ate there, could take a break and swim in the pool, or record all night if things were rolling.

One of the pieces of gear that became a band favourite was a bass synth that doubles the bassline on the song Upward Dog. With a filter that sounds like a wah, the bass line percolates and meanders through a funky intro before settling into the song. That bass synth also appears on Evergreen and Breakfast Ethereal.

The song Shoreline opens with a beautiful acoustic guitar into that blooms into some rich string parts that are reminiscent of some of Sexsmith’s earlier recordings with Mitchell Froom. Ron told me that his vision for Shoreline was a sonic mix of the Drifters and Ben E King’s Stand By Me.

Every Last One sounds like a Kinks song, and Ron admits that the Kinks are “part of my DNA.”

West Gwillimbury is a song titled after a small town north of Newmarket. After repeatedly seeing the road sign, Ron said that he thought it was a great name and he imagined it might be a heavenly little place that was frozen in time.

The theme of time also permeates a song called Man At the Gate (1913). Sexsmith had purchased a postcard with an old photo of the gates at Toronto’s Trinity-Bellwoods Park. There is a figure standing in the gates, but he’s almost a shadow. The song is about the connected nature of humanity and the potential to inspire future generations.

Other highlights include It Won’t Last For Long, Radio, Dreams Are Bigger and Worried Song.

Those looking for something special should begin mining Ron’s youtube channel (Rawnboy) where he has recorded over 400 covers of songs by artists like the Beatles, Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Roy Orbison, Abba, Cat Stevens, Springsteen, Lightfoot, Bacharach, and the Rolling Stones. Most are recorded solo, in his kitchen. He has also recorded solo acoustic renditions of each of his albums.

Ron Sexsmith and his band are performing at the Empire Theatre in Belleville on Monday, April 24th. Ron has promised to play a bunch of the new songs but to also deliver all of the fan favourites. If you’ve never heard Ron in concert, let this be your first show. This will be my seventh time and every Sexsmith performance is a gift.